This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Vehicle manufacturers have provided both ferrous wheels and non-ferrous wheels for motor vehicles for many years. The non-ferrous wheels have typically been constructed from aluminum or magnesium materials. The non-ferrous wheels typically weigh less than the steel wheels and are generally viewed as being more attractive. As such, many vehicle purchasers initially opt for a non-ferrous wheel option. Steel wheels are generally less costly. Accordingly, steel wheels continue to be very popular.
Some sets of wheel attachment hardware include wheel studs and lug nuts that are designed to couple only one of a steel wheel or a non-ferrous wheel to a rotatable hub. Distinct sets of wheel attachment hardware may be provided because the studs and lug nuts used for mounting the steel wheels may not be configured to couple non-ferrous wheels to wheel hubs. A substantial difference in yield strength exists between the different wheel materials and thus drives the need for different fasteners. The steel wheels typically exhibit a yield strength of 75,000-125,000 psi while many aluminum wheels exhibit yield strengths ranging from 45,000-55,000 psi. To accommodate for this difference, nuts used to couple to aluminum wheels to hubs may include radially outwardly extending flanges to apply a clamping load to a greater surface area of the non-ferrous wheel. The lug nuts associated with steel wheel applications typically do not include a flange but include a ball shaped seat.
While the provision of dedicated wheel attachment hardware may be acceptable within a vehicle manufacturing plant, difficulties may arise when a user desires to retro-fit the vehicle with a non-ferrous wheel when originally equipped with a steel wheel. In particular, it may be desirable to replace the wheel without also replacing associated components such as tires, wheel studs, lug nuts and/or suspension members. Therefore, a need in the art exists for an improved wheel mounting arrangement.